The consultation process forms part of the ACT government’s response to the research report, Australian Capital Territory Economic, Social and Cultural Rights Research Project Report a project conducted by Hilary Charlesworth, Renuka Thilagartnam and Katie Young from ANU and Andrew Byrnes from the University of New South Wales.

The ACT government had considered introducing economic, social and cultural rights within the original human rights act in 2004 but decided it would be more suitable to introduce civil and political rights first with an assessment process conducted every 12 months and 5 years to consider the inclusion of other rights.

Following the tabling of the research project report in 2010 in the Legislative Assembly, Mr.Corbell noted that the “question of whether to incorporate economic, social and cultural rights into ACT law is a complex one that raises many issues for all parts of our community, not just government. These questions will need to be considered in detail by the government, in consultation with the community.”

Co-author of the report Professor Hilary Charlesworth highlighted the impact that the Human Rights Act 2004 has had on the ACT since its introduction seven years ago, with the ACT government and the courts giving more attention to human rights issues raised by “specific laws, politics and proposals.”